Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1887-08-12
MATTHIAS SPLiTLOG.
How a ll-Blooded Indian Became
Millionaire.

n Millionaire.
| correspondent Of The Missouri Republica,
It Neosho writes as follows: Occasionally tn
Institution of lawsuit, the construction OF
abroad, or the transfer Of real estate bring
before the public men whose history woul,
form an interesting romance; but few OF thi
lass have had more varied and peculiar ex
perience than that OF Matthias Splitlog, tn,
millionaire Indian" whose recent sale o
seventy acres of land for $4,000 in Kansas
aear Kansas City, caused so much commen
| In the local papers. Mr.. SpltIog is a full
olooded Wyandotte Indian, and was born IL
an Indian village in Canada, and shortl,
| afterward moved to Ohio While a boy ht
was apprenticed to carpenter and mill
wright and although his wages were only s.
per month, young Splitlog thought be wal
| getting rich He imbbed a love for machine
| y and inventions, which has caused him tC
end helping hand to many a poor fellow
| who had useful invention which only need
ID money to develop II and make 1t pay.
Splitlog's first venture was to build q
steamboat which he did in company with his
brother They launched the boat upon the
st. Clair river and started in the fishing trade,
Uncle Sam soon become jealous of the boys,
md confscated the boat ON a charge of Snug
,lDg
In 1912 the Wyandottes, who were the last
of the Indian tribes then IN Ohio, by the
treaty of the Upper Sandusky, ceded to the
United States their lands iu that state, and
received In exchange land In what Is now
Wyandotte county, Kansas. In lS43 Splitlog
,ame west with some OF his tribe, and found,
after his arrival at West Port Landing (now
Kansas City, that he only had so cents in
ais pocket. lie induced an old Indian to go
his security for the price Of an AZ. With this
AZ he cut cordwood for the steamboats, at the
-ate of % cents per cord, and after paying for
the ak, which cost SO, he soon saved enough
TO buy pony, and shortly afterward we find
him with a herd Of horses. About 1850 Split
og was married to the granddaughter of the
Did man who went his security for the price
of the AK, and shortly sfterward he
began to build mill. At this time he
had no money to pay for labor, SO that he did
the work himself He selected the timber,
cut and hauled the logs, and then had a
raising" that is had his neighbors come
aud help him raise the building. lie finished
the mill himself, with everything but the
burrs These would cost at that time $50,
and splItlog had no money; still he was de-
tcrmined not ito give up the idea of running
mill When In this dilemma a steam boat
which was unloading pair of buns at the
'1andIng" accidentally let them fall over
board and they sank to the bottom of
the Missouri river. Splitlog, learn
ing Of this contracted with the owner to pay
~ ~ -. a IL
self, which he eventually did after much
trouble and hard work, and having go. the
burrs out of the river 1t took but short
lime to get ready to start the mill. The
machinery was rugged for horse power, and
The day that Splillug started he hitched In
eight unbroHen horses from his herd and earn
ed 50 cents In cash, and In the evening he
gave this money to his wife and told her tu go
to Northrups' (Splitog's present bankers in
Kansas City and buy them something good
10 eat as he now had that much money that
be did not need.
spitlogs mill was a success, and in 1855 we
had him one of the leading men of his tribe.
By the treaty of the Upper Sandusky the
Wyandottes were not allowed to ALLEVIATE their
iands, but In the year 1855 new treaty was
made between the Wyandottes and the United
States which severed the tribal relations OF
the Wyandottes and fixed their status as
citizens of the United States. The first sec
tion reads as foows
The Wyandotte Indians, having become
sufficiently advanced In civilization and desr-
ous of becoming citizens, IL Is hereby agreed
aud stipulated that their organization and
their relations with the United States as an
Indian tribe shall be dissolved and terminated
)l the ratification of this agreement, except
IN SO far as the further con tinuance OF the
same may be necessary TO the execution of
the stipulatlons herein, and from and after
the date Of such ratification the said Wyan-
iotte Indians and each and every one of them,
except as hereinafter provided, shall be deem
ed and are hereby declared TO be citizens of
the United States for all intents and purposes,
and shall be entitled to all the privileges and
immunties OF such citizens, and shall In all
respects be subject to the laws of the United
States and the territory of Kansas in the
same manner as other citizens OF said territory.
After the adoption of this treaty Splitlog be-
gan to speculate In real estate, and, although
he can neither read nor write, he has been one
Of the most successful speculators In the
neighborbood OF Kansas City, and is TO day
worth over million dollars About fourteen
years ago Splitlog moved TO Indian Territory
and located on Elk river, near the Missouri
line, and about four miles from Tiff City, and
recently he became interested in silver mine
in Mcdonald county, Missouri. With his
characteristic energy he began operations at
Dnee. He hired mining expert named b. L.
Requa, from Chicago, to superntend the
OpclatiOHs ut int Iuluts, anu, DccOlnlDP CON
sinced that to develop the mines and build up
the town OF Splitlog railroad was necessary,
be, together with his partner in the mines,
Moses w. Clay, commenced negotiating with
the projectors CT the New Orleans, Natchez
and Fort Scott Railroad company, and soon
that company was formed for the purpose of
building a railroad between the terminal
points named in their title and running by way
Of Neosho and Splitlog City. This company
being too slow to meet the vigorous ideas of
Splitlog and Clay, they severed their connec-
tons with the same, aud Matthias Splitlog,
Moses w. Clay, George Hubert, and others
organized the Kansas City, Fort Smith and
Southern Railroad company, with a capital of
5000, 600, for the purpose of building a rail
road from Kansas City TO Fort Smith, passing
through Spliuog City and NeOsho. This road
is now graded for about thirty miles between
Splitlog City and Joplin, and II is only a
question of few months when the cars will
run southwark from Joplin 10 Fort Smith, and
Matthias Splitlog, the millionaire Indian, who
is probably the richest man of his race will be
known all over the country as the only Indian
railroad man in the Unit~d States.
Mr.. Splitlog has five chidren-four bows and
one girl--and now lives at Splltlog CITY, Nc.
Donald county, Mo. He is like most men of
his race, very taciturn in his habits, seldom
speaking Ia more than monosyliables, still he
Is far from being disagreea because he can
make himself clearly understood in very few
words and is good listener and quick to
catch point 10 the discussion of any question;
and when he determines what course TO pur-
sue, he begins at once In the execution of his
plans and never ceases until he has accom-
plished his ends
-----
n ~